I am considering going to Brazil this fall. I donít have a TEFL certificate or a degree in TEFL. I have a BA and MA and have worked in university administration. Will I be able to find work without a TEFL certificate and do schools hire in the fall, after September? (Iím interested in working in Salvador or Rio, second choice.)

Last question, how much money would I need to make to live comfortably, by comfortably, I mean be able to rent an apartment, buy food, have money for necessities: laundry, transportation, utilities, etc. and still have some money for fun?

Brazil is a wonderful country and while there may be some opportunities there, I donít think teaching ESL is one of them. Youíre not going to make much money doing this, certainly not enough to live the lifestyle you described unless you work insane hours (Iím talking early morning and late evening) and have a reliable clientele of private students Ė the latter is never a guarantee.

Of the two cities you mentioned, Rio definitely has more opportunities with higher pay. But that comes with a higher cost of living, as the poster above alluded to before.

The best place for opportunities in Brazil, however, is Sao Paulo. But Sao Paulo is not an easy city to live in and the cost of living is a lot higher.

And I would agree with what the previous poster saying that you need to basically show up at an English school and theyíd hire you. Bear in mind that if you are working with a tourist visa, youíd be working illegally. This is quite common and accepted as itís a pain to get a work visa in Brazil. Also, certifications and degrees donít mean much in the realm of ESL in Brazil.

Youíre an educated guy. Iím sure you can find a better type of job in Brazil than teaching English. I know a lot of people in Brazil (Iím engaged to a Brazilian), including expats. If any of them did teach English, itís because they were bored and wanted something to occupy their time. Not one person did it as an income generator and all of them got sick and tired of it after a while.